Land is fundamental for safer habitants and decisive for livelihoods and economic empowerment to those men and women who merely depend on the agriculture sector, especially landless and small holders. Ensure land rights means to ensure land resources on production, productivity, income, employment and for safer habitants that accelerates equalities, food security and justice to land deprived people. It contributes to reducing poverty and building resilience to those affected from climate change impact.

Climate change is bigger global challenges for all and the effect remains same in everywhere but it affects differently to the landless and small holders' who are most vulnerable due to land resource inaccessibility and ownership rights which impediment access to government supports, finance and credits. The richest 10 percent of the rural population currently controls more than 60 percent of land by value, while the poorest 50 percent hold just over three percent. This means that unequal access to land threatens the livelihood of around 2.5 billion people involved in small-scale agriculture, including 1.4 billion of the world's poorest people around the world, whose livelihood largely depends on farming.

Women are the most vulnerable from climate change impact due to social norms and taboos, gender discrimination, low economic empowerment which disparage women for limited resilient capacity, gender inequalities, injustice and socio-economic exclusion. In the face of climate change, land rights for women especially from the rural areas who depend on farming is even more crucial that reduces economic inequalities, promotes gender justice and builds climate resiliency.

Climate change poses significant challenges to the planet. The vulnerability is extreme to the poor people from underdeveloped or developing coastal and mountainous countries like Maldives and Nepal, impacting various sectors including agriculture, water resources, and biodiversity. Women, particularly in rural areas, are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their dependence on natural resources for livelihoods and limited access to decision-making processes. Recognizing the importance of people centered land governance and gender-responsive climate action, this national as well as regional panel dicussion aims to empower local communities, Indigenous peoples and women through collective advocacy to ensure their active participation in land governance as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in Nepal. Globally it is ranked 4th position in terms of climate induced vulnerability.

Government's land reform policies and programs have been ongoing for more than six decades in Nepal however it is not resolved yet for the landless, informal settlers and tenants. In the policies women land rights are explicitly incorporated however its implementation is very nominal which decelerates women economic empowerment, gender and climate justice, food security and leadership development which means the world without women's fundamental rights.

The National Land Coalition of Nepal comprises 19 members, in this case National Land Rights Forum (NLRF) along with other NLC members has been struggling on land rights for both men and women since 2004. NLRF, who has been leading the project implementation on behalf of NLC members, is developing its partnership with multiple national, international and global agencies. Landesa, with the support of ILC is playing a pivotal role to the NLRF and its members from National Land Coalition Nepal to enhance the capacity, networking and advocacy since 2022 by Women-Led Collective Advocacy for Climate Action on women land rights and climate change at local, national, regional and global level.

Federation of Non-Government Organization (NGO Federation) of Nepal organizing the World Social Forum on 15-19 February, 2024 in Kathmandu Nepal envisioning with 'Another World is Possible' to raise the issues of unprecedented environmental crisis, rising inequality, widespread food insecurities, majoritarian violence, threats and provide solutions on sustainability, dignity, co- existence, equality, and equity. This is an abundant opportunity to share the solutions as well as issues and challenges to the global communities on Women Land Rights is the instrumental to the women's economic empowerment, gender justice, climate resiliency with the topic of Women Land Rights: Shifting Power to the women for Economic Empowerment, Gender & Climate justice.

Objectives:

• To share solutions, issues, challenges and lesson learn on the Women Land Rights and its nexus to women's economic empowerment, gender justice and climate resilience to the national, regional and the global communities.
• To amplify the collective voices on Women Land Rights from the participants (both men and women), activists, academicians, experts, media persons and the community people who are accredited by women land rights and Joint Land Ownership entitlements; and seek the government's commitment.
• To explore the advocacy opportunities, actions and recommendations on Women Land Rights to ensure gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and climate justice focusing on NDC and NAP at the national level as well as the regional and global level.
• To influence the policy makers, practitioners and multiple stakeholders who engage in the World Social Forum to integrate Women Land Rights in their policies and programs for the peace, inclusive and sustainable planet to address the unprecedented environmental crisis, rising inequalities, food insecurities and gender injustice in the world.

Final Statement on Women Land Rights: Shifting Power to the women for Economic Empowerment, Gender Equality and Climate Justice

Land is fundamental for safer habitants for all and very significant producing foods for farmers. Ownership right for landless and farmers specially to women farmers is crucial to ensure healthy and nutritious foods, livelihoods and income for them. Land is considered as the inheritance property, valued as an asset for capital and collaterals that access to finance and credits and pathway economic empowerment for all.

The women, pioneer of managing land and natural resources sustainably, are excluded to realize the inheritance land property rights, access and control over land resources while they are facing gender-based violations, injustice, discrimination, and in many cases force evictions due to unfavorable policies and structured patriarchal social norms.

Women have the solutions of indigenous knowledge, practices and skills for sustainable food system and contributing to build resiliency, but they are facing injustice on land rights and disproportionately impacted by the climate change as the most vulnerable group.

Women's land rights ensure women's property rights, housing rights, socio-economic rights and the decision-making rights which accelerates the women's economic empowerment, gender equality and climate justice.

The National Land Rights Forum Nepal (NLRF), as a people organization, in collaboration with various national, regional and global organizations completed a side event on Women Land Rights: Shifting Power to the Women for Economic Empowerment, Gender Equality and Climate Justice on 18 February, in the World Social Forum 2024 Kathmandu.

• Women's voices, their struggles, knowledge and experiences must be heard in policy spaces and their decision-making role must be ensured in all land governance structures.
• Capacity of women farmers, local communities, indigenous people, and the landless-led and women-led people organizations must be enhanced. Adequate, accessible and applicable climate finance must address their climate impacts.
• Women land rights is the key of ensuring women's economic empowerment, gender equality and climate justice. The national and global policy provisions regarding to land and climate change must recognize it with its effective, appropriate, immediate implementation.  
• Forceful evictions must be stopped to ensure the rights of land deprived people both women and men. Violations rights of land defenders must be considered as the serious human rights violations.